Switching device.



F. W. HARRIS. SWITCHING DEVICE. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 9, 190a.

' Patented Jan. 17,1911.

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4 m VENT R WITNESSES:

ATTdRNEY F. W. HARRIS. swncmmnzvmn. APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1908. 981,759. Patented Jan. 17, 1911.

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WITNESSES;

I VENTOR $24 no. 221M411 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

FORD W. HARRIS, OF -WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, "I WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF EAST PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.-

SWITCHING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 17, 1911.

Application filed May 9, 1908. Serial No. 431,817.

To all whom it may concern."

' Be it known that I, F ono' W. Harms, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvanimhave invented a new and useful Improvement in Switching Devices, of which the following is a specififor out-door service.

'eut upon the action of the automatic release mechanismor rendered entirely independent thereof.

While the circuit interrupter is not in tended for av motor-starting controller, it may be used to advantage, in connection with a simple startingswitch, as an overload release circuitinterrupter and as a line switch for completing the motor-supply circuit to the terminals of the starting switch.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings-is a side elevation ofa switching device or circuitcontroller constructed in accordance with my invention, the inclosing casing being in section to disclose the-operating parts. Fig. 2 is a planv view with the cover removed, of the device shown in Fig. 1, and

' Figs..3, 4. 5, 6, 8 and 9 are detail views of the operating parts.

The device illustrated in the drawings comprises a hollow supporting frame or castlng 1, afluid-eontaining tank 2, a cover 8, an insulating plate or slab 4, a plurality of stationary contact members 5 secured thereto, amovable contact-bearing member 6, an operating mechanism and a release mechanism. t The tank 2 is secured to the frame 1 by any suitable means and is over-hung byit so that a ledge 9 is provided in which bushings" 10 of insulating material may be supported.

The cover 3 is provided with. a flange 11- which slightly over-hangs the upper edge of the frame and the two parts are firmly clamped together by bolts 12 that engage suitable projections 13 and 14 on the cover and the frame. t

The stationary contact members 5 comprise substantially cylindrical contact blocks 15 which are clamped to the bottom surface of the insulating plate 4 by terminal members 16, the latter being adapted to receive the circuit leads above the insulating plate and being provided with screw-threadcd projections '17 that extend through the plate and engage the blocks 15.

The movable contact-bearing member 6 comprises a cross bar 18 of woodor other suitable insulating material to which contact blocks 19 are resiliently'secured, in a well known manner, each contact block being provided with a shank 20 which extends downwardly through the bar 18 and to which one end of a flexible shunt 21 is secured." The opposite end of the shunt isconnected to a terminal member 29 on the under side of the insulating plate l.

.The operating mechanism comprises a horizontal shaft 23 which is rotatably mounted in bearings 24 and 25 provided in the Walls of the frame 1. a pair of operating levers 26 and 27 which are mounted on the shaft 23 and a handle lever I 28 which is secured to one end of the shaft 23 which projects through the cusii'lg.

The levers 26 and 27 are provided, respectively, with openings 29 and 30 and are operatively connected to the movable contact-bearing bar 18 by links 31 and 32, the upper ends of which are pivotally suspended in the openings 29 and 30 by means of pins The points of connection betweenthe links and the levers are near corresponding ends of the levels, the extreme ends of which are adapted to engage stop projections 34 on the frame 1 when the. stationary and movable contact members are separated to a maximum degree.

9 0 rotatably The levers 26 and 27 are integral parts of jacent to the bearings 24 and 25 in order to frame 1 (said pro ection being preferably respectively, with projections 60 and G1 a single structure having a common hub 34 l or are rigidly-connected together so that; their operation is concurrent. Adjustment l of the hub 34 along the shaft 23 is prevented i by collars'35 and 36 which are secured tothe shaft 23 by pins 37, and collars 38 and 39 are similarly secured to the shaft 23 adprevent longitudinal movement of the shaft.

The collar 38 is provided with a disk segment 40 having three recesses or notches 41, 41 and 41 to be engaged by a roller 42 that forms a part of an accentuating lever 43. The lever 43 is rotatably mounted on a pin shaft 44 which projects inwardly from the frame 1 and the roller 42 is forced into one or another of the notches in the segment 40 by means of a spring 45.

The lever 27 is provided with a laterally projecting lug 46 which may be engaged by a projection 47 on the collar 36, an o erative connection being thereby effected between the shaft 23 and the levers 26 and 27.

The release mechanism-comprises a bell crank lever 48 provided with two arms 49 and 50 having bifurcated outer ends which are pivotally fastened to the free ends of the levers 26 and 27. The bell crank lever 48 is further providedwith a latch 51 which is adapted to engagea projection 51 on the constructed of hardened steel), and with a second pair of arms 52 and 53, the ends of which are also bifurcated to' receive the upper ends of striker or hammer rods 54. Re-- lease magnet coils 56 are provided with stationary core members 57 and 'withmovable core members 58 which are suspended from the lower ends of the hammer rods 54, in the usual manner, and are adapted to automatically trip the latch 51. v, The rods 54 are provided with collars 59 which enga e, the ends of the arms 52 and 53 when t 1e currenttraversing the coils 56 exceeds a predetermined amount.

The collars 35 and 36 are also provided,

which prevent the upward movement of the hammer rods 54 when the shaft 23 occupies a position which is accentuated by the engagement of the roller 42 with the notch 41 of the segment 40.

The operation of the device is asfollows; (assuming that the breaker occupies its opencircuit position and that the roller 42 engages notch 41 of the segment 40)- if the handle lever 28 and the shaft 23 are rotated in a clockwise direction, the arrangement of parts being considered as shown in Fig. 1; this rotative movement will be imparted to levers 26 and 27, since the projection 47 on the collar 36 engages the projection 46, and the movable contact-bearing member 6 will be raised until the contact members 19 are these terminals;

forced into engagement with the stationary contact members 15. The latch 51 now engages the projection 51 and the breaker occupies the position in which the roller 42 engages the notch 41 of the segment 40. In

this position, the projection (31 on the collar 36 and the projection 60 on the collar prevent the upward movement of the lltlliliner rods 54 and the automatic release of the latch 51. If it is desired to render the device susceptible of automatic release by the release magnets, the handle 28 and the shaft 2-3 may be rotated in the counter clockwise direction to bring the controller into an intermediate position in which the roller 42 engages the notch 41 of the segment 40. ln this position,'the contact members are still in engagement with each. other but the projections 60 and 61 have been moved out of the line of action of the hammer rods 54 and, consequently, if the current traversing the windings 56 exceeds a predetermined amount, the collars 59 will be moved upwardly and will strike the ends of the arms 52 and 53 and thereby release latch 51 from the projection 51. The weight of the movmg contact-bearing member 6 and the resiliency of the contact members are suflicient to separate said members from the stationary contact members and to cause the circuits which were formerly completed through the shunts 21, as indicared below, to be inter- ,rupted.

In case it is desired to interrupt the circuit independently of the automatic release mechanism, the handle lever 28 and the shaft 23 are operated in a counterclockwise direction until the projection-61 on the collar 35 enga es an arm 65 of. the bell crank lever 48 and releases the latch 51 from the projection 51 and the roller notch 41 of the segment 40.

\Vhen the controller occupies either of the positions accentuated by the engagement of the roller 42 with the notches 4.1 and 41, connections are established from an external circuit through conducting leads (56, contact members 5 and 6 and flexible shunts 21 to terminal members From two of circuits are continued through the release magnet coils 56, conductors 67, terminals 68, which are located on the upper surfaces of the plate 4, and leads 69 to the external circuit. From the remaining terminal 22 the circuit is continued directly through a'lead 70 to the external circuit.

It will be readily understood by those skilled in theart that a simple switching device may be used for starting an electric motor, and that my improved circuit interrupter may advantageously be connected. in the supply circuit in order to protect the motor from excessive overloads. In such cases, it Will be desirable to move the operating handle lever of the circuit interrupter 42 occupies to the position in which the roller 42 engages notch 41, in order to PI'QVODt the interrup- 'tion of the circuit during the acceleration 'oerati-ng lllPtilllJGi and means for locking "said 0 erzitin member in two definite circult-closing positions, the latch-tripping mechanism being locked by said operating member when inone of said positions.

2. In a circuit breaker, the combination with stationary and movable contact members, an operating lever fulcrumed 'at an intermediate pointflin its length, a latch pivotally suspended from one end of the lever, a shaft; operatively connected to the'lever, and means dependent upon the position occu= pied by the shaft for preventing withdrawal of the latch. I

3. I11 a circuit-breaker, the combination with a horizontal. shaft, a lever rotatabl mounted thereon, means for making movement of the lever in one direction dependent upon movement of the shaft, a latch pivot-' ally suspended from one end of the lever, automatic means for tripping the latch, and means tor preventing operation of the latch tripping means when the shaft is in a certain position.

-1.. In a circuit-breaker, the conrhination with a horizontal rotatable shaft, a handle lever secured thereto, means for accentuatinga plurality of shaft positions and an operating lever rotatably mounted upon the shaft, of a latch pivotally suspended from one end of the lever for holding the circuitbrealcer closed, an electro-responsive tripsuspendial from one end. of the lever and cured to the mo able contact member, a

latch piv-otal'ly suspended from the opposite end of the lever, electro--responsive means for tripping the latch, means for accentuating a ilurality of shaft positions, and means for preventing the operation of the tripping mechanism when the shaft is in a certain. position.

A circuit-breaker comprising stationary and movable contact members, means for holding the members in engagement, automatic release mechanisn'i, an operatin shaft, means for accentuating a plurality shaft positions in which the circuit-breaker is respectively open, closed subject to automatic operation and closed subjectto nonautomatic operation, and means interposed by the shaft in its l at namedposition'to prevent operation of the release mechanism. 7. In a circuit hreaker, the con'ibination with stationary and movable contact members, a rotatable shaft supported in a horizontal plane, an operatinglever rotatably mounted on the shaft, and a link connecting the movable contact member to one end of the lever, of a. latch pivotaiiy suspended from the opposite end of the lever for holding the coptact members in engagementwith each other, elecho-responsive 'means for tripping the latclna notched dist: segment secured to the shaft, an accentuating lover, a spring for holding the aceentuating lever in engagement with the segment notcl es, and an operating handle leversecured. to one end of the shaft.

in testimony whereof, I havel scribed my name this 30th day v FORD W. Witnesses:

G. L. CHRISTMAN, Binnnr 

